Frontiers in Medicine (Jul 2024)

Biomarkers of chronic kidney disease in older individuals: navigating complexity in diagnosis

  • Lucia Muglia,
  • Michele Di Dio,
  • Elvira Filicetti,
  • Giada Ida Greco,
  • Mara Volpentesta,
  • Alessia Beccacece,
  • Paolo Fabbietti,
  • Fabrizia Lattanzio,
  • Andrea Corsonello,
  • Andrea Corsonello,
  • Andrea Corsonello,
  • Guido Gembillo,
  • Domenico Santoro,
  • Luca Soraci

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2024.1397160
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11

Abstract

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Chronic kidney disease (CKD) in older individuals is a matter of growing concern in the field of public health across the globe. Indeed, prevalence of kidney function impairment increases with advancing age and is often exacerbated by age-induced modifications of kidney function, presence of chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disorders, and increased burden related to frailty, cognitive impairment and sarcopenia. Accurate assessment of CKD in older individuals is crucial for timely intervention and management and relies heavily on biomarkers for disease diagnosis and monitoring. However, the interpretation of these biomarkers in older patients may be complex due to interplays between CKD, aging, chronic diseases and geriatric syndromes. Biomarkers such as serum creatinine, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and albuminuria can be significantly altered by systemic inflammation, metabolic changes, and medication use commonly seen in this population. To overcome the limitations of traditional biomarkers, several innovative proteins have been investigated as potential, in this review we aimed at consolidating the existing data concerning the geriatric aspects of CKD, describing the challenges and considerations in using traditional and innovative biomarkers to assess CKD in older patients, highlighting the need for integration of the clinical context to improve biomarkers’ accuracy.

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